Fewer people with federal student loans are making payments on their debt .

Around 10.3 million borrowers were enrolled in a payment pause known as a forbearance in the third quarter of 2025, up from around 2.9 million during the same time period in 2024, according to U.S. Department of Education data analyzed by higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.

(The Education Department's fiscal year starts on Oct. 1; its third quarter spans April 1 to June 30.)

Another 3.4 million federal student loan borrowers had deferred their payments in the third quarter of this year, up from 3.2 million a year earlier, Kantrowitz found. Deferments, which are available for various reasons such as job loss or a cancer diagnosis, are another way for borrowers to postpone student loan payments.

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